Folded newspaper opening mechanism for multiple section inserting machine

ABSTRACT

A machine for assembling a multiple section newspaper successively feeds folded outer sections onto a continuously moving conveyor for advancement beneath mechanical opening mechanism with the fold line of the section disposed to one side and the hard edges thereof leading. As each outer section passes beneath the opening mechanism, a gripper thereof cycling in a generally upright plane moves down into frictional engagement with the outer leaf of the moving section and then obliquely across the path of travel of the section as the latter continues to move, whereby the leaf is pushed in its own plane toward the fold line of the section. This action draws the leading hard edge of the upper fold of the section away from the corresponding edge of the opposing fold to thereby open the section. With the advancing section thus opened, a stationary divider is received between the folds of the section, the gripper lifts from the section to complete its cycle in preparation for the next section, and one or more feeders alongside the path of travel of the advancing outer section deliver folded inner sections beneath the divider to the outer section.

United States Patent Hannon et al.

[54] FOLDED NEWSPAPER OPENING MECHANISM FOR MULTIPLE SECTION INSERTINGMACHINE Inventors: Warren W. Hannon; Charles N. Hannon, both of PO. Box103, Olathe, Kans. 66061 [73] Assignee: W. W. Hannon by said C. N.Hannon Primary Examiner- Lawrence Charles Attorney-Schmidt, Johnson,l-lovey & Williams [451 Oct. 17, 1972 [57] ABSTRACT A machine forassembling a multiple section newspaper successively feeds folded outersections onto a continuously moving conveyor for advancement beneathmechanical opening mechanism with the fold line of the section disposedto one side and the hard edges thereof leading. As each outer sectionpasses beneath the opening mechanism, a gripper thereof cycling in agenerally upright plane moves down into frictional engagement with theouter leaf of the moving section and then obliquely across the path oftravel of the section as the latter continues to move, whereby the leafis pushed in its own plane toward the fold line of the section. Thisaction draws the leading hard edge of the upper fold of the section awayfrom the corresponding edge of the opposing fold to thereby open thesection. With the advancing section thus opened, a stationary divider isreceived between the folds of the section, the gripper lifts from thesection to complete its cycle in preparation for the next section, andone or more feeders alongside the path of travel of the advancing outersection deliver folded inner sections beneath the divider to the outersection.

12 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures PATENTED T 17 I97? 3 6 98 .704

sum 1 or 5 1 NVEN TORS.

' I Warren W. Hannon 9.2. 30 BY Charles N. Honnon PATENTEDUBT 17 I972SHEET 3 0F 5 INVENTORS. Warren W. Hcmnon 7 BY Charles N. HannonPATENTEDum 7 1972 SHEET 0F 5 FOLDED NEWSPAPER OPENING MECHANISM FORMULTIPLE SECTION INSER'IING MACHINE This invention relates to machinesfor assembling multiple section newspapers or the like and, moreparticularly, pertains to improved mechanism for opening continuouslymoving, folded outer sections of the newspaper in preparation for theinsertion of other sections or articles thereinto.

Machines presently available for accomplishing the assembly or stuffing"of multiple sheet newspaper sections one within the other may be dividedinto two general categories. The first of these operates through meansof a vacuum opening system wherein suction grippers are employed to pullone fold of a folded newspaper section away from the opposing foldthereof. However, such vacuum opening systems may be less thansatisfactory for a number of reasons, particularly when each fold of thesection to be opened contains a large number of leaves, all of whichmust be controlled during the opening process. In this instance, thevacuum gripper tends to grip only the outer leaf of the fold withoutcontrolling the remaining leaves therein, unless the system has beenprovided with expensive, complex vacuum apparatus that is powerfulenough to assure complete gripping of all of the leaves. However, asystem this powerful often tends to pick up leaves of the opposing foldof the section in addition to those intended, thereby causing frequentdifficulties as well as greatly increasing the overall cost of themachine.

On the other hand, machines employing mechanical opening mechanisms suchas the type disclosed in our copending application, Ser. No. 834,485,filed June 18, I969, now U. S. Pat. No. 3,595,560, issued July 27, 1971,have, for the most part, entirely eliminated the control and expenseproblems associated with the vacuum opening mechanisms. While themechanical opening mechanism disclosed in said copending application hasproven to be extremely successful and efficient, the operating speed ofsuch mechanism is limited by the fact that the section is substantiallystationary during opening thereof.

It is, therefore, an important object of our present invention toprovide a reliable, high-speed inserting machine which is capable ofopening multiple leaf articles such as newspaper sections while thesections move swiftly and continuously along a conveying line, allwithout damaging the sections and without the aid of the vacuum openingstructure.

A further important object of the instant invention is the provision ofopening mechanism in such a machine which frictionally grips the outerleaf only of the section to be opened and pushes such leaf substantiallywithin its own plane in a direction to cause the leading hard edges ofthe section to separate.

Another important object of our invention is to provide in a machine asaforesaid, structure for positively controlling the section as itadvances through the opening process in order to prevent undesiredshifting of the section or lifting thereof by air currents.

Yet another important object of the invention is to provide a machinecapable of carrying out all of the above objects, yet which may bequickly and easily adjusted so as to permit the handling of sections. ofvarious thicknesses, all without adversely affecting the operatingefficiency of the machine.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an inserting machine constructedin accordance with the principles of our present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, elevational view of the feed end ofthe machine of FIG. 1 with the outer protective casing thereof removedto reveal details of construction;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, top plan view of the receiving andinserting line of the machine;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the receiving andinserting line taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, front elevational view of the machine as shownin FIGS. 2-4, illustrating in particular the drive and timing mechanismfor the moving components of the machine;

FIGS. 6-13 are diagrammatic views illustrating the operational sequenceof the machine;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged, fragmentary detail view of structure in theouter section feeder for crimping the leading margin of the section asit issues from the feeder;

FIG. 15 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of the machine capableof carrying out the principles of the invention wherein a number ofsuperimposed inner sections may be inserted within the opened outersection at the same time; and

FIG. 16 is an enlarged, schematic, fragmentary, cross-sectional viewtaken along line 16-16 of FIG. 15.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, machine 20 as illustrated therein has afeeding station 22 at one end thereof which supplies folded,multiple-sheet newspaper sections or the like to a receiving andinserting line, broadly denoted by the numeral 24, which advances thefolded section toward the opposite end of machine 20 and opens thesection during such advancement for insertion thereinto of othernewspaper sections or similar articles from stations 26 and 28.

In FIGS. 2-5 it may be seen that machine 20 has an elongated framework30 which supports feeding stations 22, 26 and 28, as well as line 24,and includes a number of forwardly extending base members 32, rearuprights 34, cross members 36 bridging uprights 34 and base members 32,horizontal top members 38, and braces 40 between top members 38 andcross members 36. A plurality of longitudinal angle members 42 extendbetween the cross members 36 at opposite ends of machine 20, a pair ofwhich support spaced-apart, generally upright panels 44 and 46 whichform structural supports for a number of the components of line 24 anddispose the latter in a slightly inclined or tilted condition as shownbest in FIG. 2.

Line 24 may be divided into three general areas: a receiving anddelivery area at the right end of the machine viewing FIG. 3; an openingarea disposed generally centrally of the machine; and an insertion arealocated adjacent the opposite end of the machine. The receiving anddelivery area has a pair of flat, split shelves 48 which are supportedbetween front and rear panels 44 and 46 by bracket structure 50 forreceiving folded, outer newspaper sections from the feed rolls 52 of thefeeding station 22. The feeder at each of the stations 22, 26 and 28 arepreferably of the bottom delivery type, such as disclosed in ourcopending application, Ser. No. l ,01 l, filed Aug. 7, 1968.

A pair of generally downwardly projecting, flexible fingers 54 and anopposed, arcuate flexible finger 56 above shelves 48 serve as guides andas hold-downs for the sections issuing from feeding station 22, and adelivery assembly 58 below shelves 48 has an endless conveyor chain 60which carries a series of upstanding pushers 62 extending between theshelves 48 for movement longitudinally of line 24 toward the oppositeend of the machine.

The opening area of the machine has an endless conveyor belt 64 disposedwith its top surface thereof at the level of shelves 48, the opposedends of belt 64 being supported by conveyor rolls having shafts 66 and68 journaled by suitable bearings on panels 44 and 46. A longitudinal,flat plate 70 spans panels 44 and 46 beneath the upper stretch ofconveyor belt 64 providing support therefor, and a generally arcuate,downturned exit plate 72 secured to panel 44 at the discharge end ofbelt 64 leads away from the upper stretch thereof.

A comparatively narrow, continuous presser belt 74 is disposed along oneside of belt 64 adjacent panel 44 with its lower stretch resting uponthe upper stretch of belt 64. The opposed roll shafts 76 and 78 ofpresser belt 74 are carried by an elongated spreader bar 80 and extendthrough generally arcuate slots 82 (FIGS. 4 and in panel 44 to permitvertical movement of bar 80 and belt 74 against the action of ayieldable hold-down unit 84.

Also included within the opening area of the machine is openingmechanism broadly denoted by the numeral 86, the mechanism 86 beingsupported above and adjacent to the receiving end of conveyor belt 64 bymeans of a bracket 88 slidably received within blocks 90 on panel 44. Anadjusting bolt 92 rigidly supported adjacent the upper edge of panel 44has its lower portion thereof in threaded engagement with bracket 88 topermit incremental vertical sliding movement of the bracket 88 withinblocks 90.

Mechanism 86 includes a frictional gripping pad 94 carried by acontinuous, flexible chain 96 which is looped about supporting framework98 carried by bracket 88. Framework 98 has a central upright plate 100from which three elongated arms 102 extend, each arm 102 carrying asprocket 104 at its outer end thereof for engaging chain 96 andsupporting the latter for cycling in a generally upright plane and in adirection extending obliquely to the longitudinal axis of belt 64.

One of the arms 102 projects upwardly beyond the top edge of plate 100and pivotally carries a rocker having another sprocket 108 at itsoutermost end which is yieldably biased into engagement with chain 96 bya coil spring 1 10. A pair of sprockets 1 12 along the lower edge ofplate 100 have their axes of rotation disposed in a plane which extendsin parallel relationship with the conveyor belt 64 such that during eachcycle of chain 96, the pad 94 travels parallel to belt 64 for a shortdistance between sprockets 112. Driving power for the mechanism 86 isintroduced thereto by means of a universal coupling 114 which isoperably connected at one end to the input sprocket 104 on the upper arm102 and at the other end with drive mechanism hereinafter described.

The inserting area of line 24 adjacent the discharge end of conveyorbelt 64 includes a second pair of split shelves 116 which are supportedby an upright panel 118 and the forward panel 44 and extendsubstantially across the width of line 24. A driven roller 120 (FIG. 4)directly and immediately below the leading end of presser belt 74 hasits upper periphery disposed at the level of exit plate 72 in contactwith the lower stretch of presser belt 74, and a take-away assembly 124beneath shelves 116 is similar to delivery assembly 58, having a seriesof upstanding pushers 126 which project upwardly between shelves 116 andmove longitudinally of line 24 away from conveyor belt 64 by means of anendless conveyor chain 128.

An elongated, rigid opening and separating rod 130 is supported by abase 132 on rear panel 46 and extends partially across conveyor belt 64slightly above its upper surface. Rod 130 is angled toward the dischargeend of conveyor belt 64 in approximate parallel relationship to thefront edge of an elongated dividing plate 134 which is nearlycoextensive with the shelf 116 and is mounted thereabove in spacedrelationship thereto at a slightly greater transverse inclination. Onelongitudinal edge of divider 134 terminates at the gap between shelves116, while the end of divider 134 adjacent conveyor belt 64 has itscorners formed to present a pair of upturned lips 136 and 138. Both thedivider 134 and shelf 116 extend in front of the two feeder stations 26and 28, paper sections. delivered from these two stations being directedonto the shelf 116 beneath divider 134. An elongated deflector 140 ismounted on front panel 44 and extends longitudinally of the forwardshelf 1 16 in spaced relationship thereabove.

The powermeans of machine 20 is disposed primarily within the basicframework 30 thereof, while the driving mechanism for the movingcomponents of line 24 is operably coupled with the power means and islocated within an open, box-like framework 142 on the outside of frontpanel 44. Framework 142 includes a pair of longitudinally extending topmembers 144, a series of stub members 146 spaced longitudinally of topmembers 144 and extending therebetween, and a number of generallyupright posts which extend between the outer top member 144 and thecorresponding angle member 42 therebelow.

The power means comprises a motor 150 (FIG. 2) having a variable pulley152 which operably connects motor 150 with a gearbox 154, gearbox 154 inturn being connected through a sprocket and chain assembly 156 to ajackshaft 158 which extends longitudinally of the machine 20 andprovides a common drive for the feeder stations 22, 26 and 28. Gearbox154 is drivingly coupled with a right angle drive 160 through a chainand sprocket assembly 162, the right angle drive 160, in turn, supplyingpower to the forward end (not shown) of take-away assembly 124 through achain 164 (FIG. 5).

A chain and sprocket assembly 166 couples the shaft 168 of right angledrive 160 with shaft 68 of conveyor belt 64, spanning box framework 142and journaled by one of the posts 148. Shaft 68 is then utilized as acentral source of drive for delivery assembly 58, opening mechanism 86,driven roller 120, and presser belt 74.

Specifically, driving force for roller 120 is created through a chainand sprocket assembly 170 which couples shaft 68 with the shaft 172 ofroller 120, while an endless chain 174 entrained about a sprocket 176 onshaft 68, a sprocket 178 on shaft 180 of delivery assembly 58, andsprockets 182 and 184 transmits power to assembly 58. The shaft 76 frompresser belt 74 spans the opposed branches 186 of a floating frame 188having one end thereof swingable about an axis through shaft 68 andbiased downwardly in a clockwise direction viewing FIG. 5 by a coilspring 190. A chain and sprocket assembly 192 couples shaft 68 withshaft 76 of presser belt 74, a reversing of direction being accomplishedduring such coupling by means of an idler sprocket 194 on one of thebranches 186 which receives the chain of assembly 192 prior to itsengagement with the sprocket 196 on shaft 76.

The shaft 198 of sprocket 182 driven by chain 174 provides a powertakeoff for the opening mechanism 86, the shaft 198 carrying a secondsprocket 200 which meshes with a generally upright continuous chain 202that is also entrained about a sprocket 204 on the drive shaft 206 whichleads from universal coupling 114. A timing assembly 208 interposedbetween shafts 198 and 206 coordinates the cycling of chain 96 ofopening mechanism 86 with the movement of the other components of themachine. Assembly 208 includes an elongated, upright spreader bar 210spanning shafts 198 and 206, a slide unit 212 mounted on bar 210 forlongitudinal movement therealong, and a threaded timing bolt 214projecting above the upper portion of framework 142 and having its lowerextremities in engagement with slide unit 212. Assembly 208 furtherincludes a pair of stationary sprockets 216 disposed centrally of bar210 and sprockets 218 and 220 movable with slide unit 212, all of thesprockets 216-220 meshing with chain 202 as shown most clearly in FIG.5.

Referring now to FIGS. and 16, a second machine embodying the principlesof our present invention is illustrated and is broadly designated by thenumeral 300. The machine 300 is essentially identical to machine exceptfor certain specific changes, and therefore, will be described in onlylimited detail. Machine 300 has a newspaper feeding station 302 disposedalong one side of a receiving and inserting line 304 which includesopening mechanism 306 and divider structure 308. The specific changeincorporated by machine 300 lies in the special construction of feedingstation 310 located at the discharge end of line 304.

In particular, each of the stations 26 and 28 of machine 30 has a feederwhich is designed to successively deliver single, inner newspapersections from a stack thereof to the line 24. Therefore, the number ofinner sections which may be inserted within an outer section movingalong line 24 is dependent upon the number of feeding stations, such as26 and 28, which are provided.

On the other hand, station 310 of machine 300 contemplates deliveringall of the inner sections to be inserted simultaneously instead of atspaced intervals. To this end, station 310 includes a series of feeders312, 314 and 316 which are arranged in a line extending transversely ofreceiving and inserting line 304, and supported above an endlessconveyor 318. Suitable mechanism (not shown) coupled with the jackshaft320 extending from the power means of machine 300 drives the conveyor318 toward line 304 at a speed which causes the sections emanating fromfeeders 312-316 to be progressively stacked one upon the other as thedischarge end of conveyor 318 is approached. There fore, after a sectionhas issued from between the rollers 322 of feeder 312, a short stack ofthree superimposed sections is completed and ready for advancementbetween the superimposed delivery belts 324 and 326 which ultimatelydischarge the short stack beneath the divider 308 and onto shelf 328 ofline 304.

OPERATION Except for the special collecting and delivery action ofstation 310, machine 300 operates in a manner identical to that ofmachine 20. Therefore, only the operation of machine 20 will bedescribed, with the understanding that the principles of such operationare also applicable to machine 300.

In order to obtain a full and clear understanding of the manner ofoperation of machine 20, it is suggested that particular reference bemade to FIGS. 6-12 which diagrammatically illustrate the steps in theassembly of a complete newspaper edition. Actuation of motor initiatesoperation of the components of machine 20 with the delivery assembly 58,conveyor belt 64, the lower stretch of presser belt 74, and takeawayassembly 124 all moving at the same speed toward the left end of line24, viewing FIG. 3. Additionally, opening mechanism 86 is activated withthe gripper pad 94 cycling within its oblique, upright plane at a speedwhich is slightly greater than the speed of conveyor belt 64. However,while the overall peripheral speed of pad 94 is greater than that ofconveyor belt 64, the velocity component of pad 94 parallel to thedirection of movement of conveyor belt 64 is substantially identical tothe speed of operation of conveyor belt 64. Vertical adjustment of themechanism 86 to bring pad 94 closer to or farther away from conveyorbelt 64 may be easily effected by rotating adjusting bolt 92 asnecessary.

Viewing FIG. 6, feeding station 22 shows a stack A of folded, multipleleaf, outer newspaper sections which are successively fed onto theinclined split shelves 48 with sufficient momentum to carry each sectionacross shelves 48 until the fold line 400 of the section abuts the panel44. During issuance of the section from station 22, the section, if of alimited number of pages (14 or less) passes between rollers 52 (FIG. 14)and has its left margin (viewing FIG. 14) crimped downwardly by a rotaryelement 222 and an opposed roller 224 in order to facilitate handling ofthe relatively thin section during its advancement along line 24. Rotaryelement 222 is removed from the feeding mechanism when newspapers ofmore than about 14 pages are being handled. Panel 44 then serves as aside guide as the section is engaged at its rearmost edge by one of thepushers 62 of delivery assembly 58 and moved along the line 24 towardconveyor belt 64. During the time that the delivered out section isresting upon shelves 48 and moving toward conveyor belt 64, the openingmechanism 86 is in the condition illustrated in FIG. 7 wherein thegripper pad 94 is moving upwardly along the back stretch of its cycleaway from the surface of conveyor belt 64.

As illustrated most clearly in FIG. 11, a typical newspaper section asshown therein has, in addition to the fold line 400 along one sidethereof, a pair of opposed, flat folds 402 and 404 which, in turn,present folded, hard edges 406 and 408 respectively. Each of the folds402 and 404 comprises a number of superimposed, relatively thin leaves,such as the outer leaf 410 of fold 404. Therefore, as clearly shown inthe drawings, the outer section advances along shelves 48 towardconveyor belt 64 with the hard edges 406 and 408 leading.

As the outer section continues to advance along line 24, the hard edges406 and 408 thereof are gripped between presser belt 74 and conveyorbelt 64 adjacent fold line 400 until substantially the entire surfacearea of the section is disposed upon conveyor belt 64 as shown in FIGS.8 and 9. During the reception of the outer section from deliveryassembly 58, presser belt 74 is free to float within the slots 82against the action of hold-down 84 and floating frame 188 (FIG. in orderto compensate for the particular thickness of the section, while at thesame time remaining in firm engagement with the latter to press itagainst conveyor belt 64 and effect positive control thereover. When themoving outer section reaches the position shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, thegripper pad 94 completes its downward stroke toward conveyor belt 64 andis just beginning to frictionally engage the outer leaf 410 of fold 404in preparation for opening the section. Then, as the section continuesto be advanced by conveyor belt 64, the pad 94 levels out and movesparallel to the plane of the section between sprockets 112 (FIG. 4) 4)along its oblique course to thereby cause the outer leaf 410 to bepushed toward presser belt 74. In view of the fact that the pad 94,while moving obliquely, has a velocity component extendinglongitudinally of conveyor belt 64 which is substantially equal to thespeed at which the outer section advances, there is no relative movementbetween pad 94 and outer leaf 410 for the distance between sprockets112. Accordingly, leaf 410 is pushed only in a lateral direction withinits own plane toward presser belt '74 (FIGS. 10 and 11) without anylongitudinal displacement whatsoever and without any damage. Becausepresser belt 74 maintains firm, even downward pressure against the outersection, the leaf 410 thereof begins to crumple slightly between pad 94and presser belt 74, causing the hard edge 408 to be drawn upwardly awayfrom the opposite edge 406. This action causes separation of folds 402and 404, thereby effecting opening of the section.

As the opened outer section continues to advance along line 24 and pad94 continues in its cycle, the rod 130 slips between the separated forms402 and 404 to hold the latter away from fold 402 as the edges 406 and408 approach the discharge end of conveyor belt 64. As soon as rod 130enters between folds 402 and 404, the pad 94 completes its movementbetween sprockets 112 and lifts upwardly away from the section out ofengagement with leaf 410 to complete its cycle.

With the folds 402 and 404 maintained in spaced relationship by rod 130,the hard edges 406 and 408 receive the divider 134 therebetween as thesection moves into the position shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. As the upperfold 404 becomes further separated from fold 402 because of the inclinedsurface of divider 134, the free side of fold 402 begins to slide alongrear shelf 116, while the portion of the section adjacent fold line 400leaves conveyor belt 64 and is controlled between exit plate 72, roller120, and presser belt 74 (FIG. 4). Then, as the section leaves thecontrol of presser belt 74 and roller 120, a pusher 126 of take-awayassembly 124 engages the rearmost edge of the section to continueadvancement of the latter. As the opened outer section continues travelalong line 24 in the condition illustrated in FIG. 13, folded innersections or other articles are successively fed to the section beneathdivider 134 by stations 26 and 28.

Manifestly, the timing and synchronism of the opening mechanism 86 withthe remaining components of the machine is particularly important inview of the high operating speeds which may be obtained by virtue of thecontinuous, no-dwell characteristics of the machine. Therefore, thelocus of contact between the pad 94 and the moving outer section may beeasily regulated and adjusted by virtue of the special construction of,mechanism 86 and the timing assembly 208. To this end, the desiredpositioning of pad 94 may be roughly or approximately determined priorto actuation of the machine by swinging rocker 106 (FIG. 4) downwardlyagainst the action of spring to move sprocket 108 out of engagement withchain 96. This releases the tension on chain 96 such that the latter maythen be lifted from the upper input sprocket 104 and manually cycleduntil pad 94 is in the desired location. Replacement of chain 96 oninput sprocket 104 and rocker sprocket 108 then returns mechanism 86 toits operable condition.

After such rough adjustment of mechanism 86, the locus of contactbetween pad 94 and the outer section may be finely adjusted while themachine is in operation through timing assembly 208. This is easilyaccomplished by rotating adjusting belt 214, causing slide unit 212 toshift vertically of bolt 214 which, in turn, displaces the sprockets 218and 220 relative to the stationary sprockets 216. This action varies thetimed relationship between chains 202 and 174, thereby changing thetimed relationship between pad 94 and conveyor belt 64.

As long as the various feeding stations remain loaded, the operationdescribed above is continuous. At the delivery end of line 24 the fullyassembled newspapers may simply be collected in stacks as they aredischarged from shelves 116 or, if desired, the apparatus may directlybe a newspaper folding and wrapping machine of the type disclosed in US.Pat. Nos. 3,161,000 and 3,255,569.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for inserting a sheet article between opposed portions of afolded, multiple leaf sheet section having a fold along one side thereofwith each of said portions having a hard edge extending transversely ofsaid fold, said apparatus comprising:

conveying means for receiving said section and advancing the latteralong a predetermined path of travel with said hard edges of theportions leading; means engageable with said section for holding thesection against movement laterally of said path;

mechanism engageable with one of said portions during advancement of thesection for shifting said one portion in a direction generally towardsaid fold to separate said hard, leading edges of the por tions andthereby open the section while the latter is advancing,

said mechanism including a gripper and means for driving said gripperalong a course of travel extending obliquely of said path of travel ofthe section when the gripper is in contact with said one portion duringadvancement of the section;

a divider disposed within said path of travel of the section andpositioned to enter between said separated edges of the portions tothereby maintain the same in spaced relationship; and

a feeder along said path for delivering said sheet article to the openedsection as the latter advances.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the speed of the gripper in adirection parallel to said path as the gripper travels along said courseis substantially equal to the speed at which the section advances alongsaid path.

3. The invention of claim 2, wherein is provided means movable alongsaid path in opposition to and at substantially the same speed as saidconveying means for pressing the section against said conveying means tomaintain control over said section during advancement thereof.

4. The invention of claim 3, wherein said conveying means includes afirst continuous belt supporting said section and wherein said pressingmeans comprises a second continuous belt narrower than said section andextending along said fold of the section, said gripper beingfrictionally engageable with the outer leaf of said one portion forpushing said outer leaf within its own plane against said second belt tothereby draw said hard edge of the one portion away from the hard edgeof the other portion.

5. The invention of claim 2, wherein said mechanism further includesstructure for bringing said gripper into and out of engagement with saidone portion of the section at opposite ends respectively of said coursewhile the section is advancing.

6. The invention of claim 5, wherein saidstructure includes acontinuous, flexible element looped above said section and operablycoupled with said drive means for cycling in a plane disposedtransversely to the plane of said section, said element carrying saidgripper and being arranged during each cycle thereof to move toward,then parallel to and thence away from said plane of the section toeffect operation of the gripper.

7. The invention of claim 6, wherein is provided means for shifting saidelement toward and away from said path to accommodate sections ofvarious thicknesses.

8. The invention of claim 5, wherein is provided timing meansinterconnecting said structure and said conveying means for determiningthe locus of contact of said gripper with said one portion.

9. The invention of claim 1, wherein is provided a second feeder alongsaid path for delivering a second sheet article between said portions ofthe section as the latter continues to advance.

10. The invention of claim 1, wherein said feeder is operable to deliverat least a superimposed pair of said sheet articles to the section atone time.

1 1. An opener for continuously moving, folded sheet articles eachhaving a fold along one side thereof and a pair of normally juxtaposedportions, each portion provided with a leading edge extendingtransversely to said fold, said opener comprising:

asupport; a gripper shiftably mounted on said support for movement alonga course of travel extending obliquely to the path of travel of themoving articles; and

means for cycling said gripper along its course of 1

1. Apparatus for inserting a sheet article between opposed portions of afolded, multiple leaf sheet section having a fold along one side thereofwith each of said portions having a hard edge extending transversely ofsaid fold, said apparatus comprising: conveying means for receiving saidsection and advancing the latter along a predetermined path of travelwith said hard edges of the pOrtions leading; means engageable with saidsection for holding the section against movement laterally of said path;mechanism engageable with one of said portions during advancement of thesection for shifting said one portion in a direction generally towardsaid fold to separate said hard, leading edges of the portions andthereby open the section while the latter is advancing, said mechanismincluding a gripper and means for driving said gripper along a course oftravel extending obliquely of said path of travel of the section whenthe gripper is in contact with said one portion during advancement ofthe section; a divider disposed within said path of travel of thesection and positioned to enter between said separated edges of theportions to thereby maintain the same in spaced relationship; and afeeder along said path for delivering said sheet article to the openedsection as the latter advances.
 2. The invention of claim 1, wherein thespeed of the gripper in a direction parallel to said path as the grippertravels along said course is substantially equal to the speed at whichthe section advances along said path.
 3. The invention of claim 2,wherein is provided means movable along said path in opposition to andat substantially the same speed as said conveying means for pressing thesection against said conveying means to maintain control over saidsection during advancement thereof.
 4. The invention of claim 3, whereinsaid conveying means includes a first continuous belt supporting saidsection and wherein said pressing means comprises a second continuousbelt narrower than said section and extending along said fold of thesection, said gripper being frictionally engageable with the outer leafof said one portion for pushing said outer leaf within its own planeagainst said second belt to thereby draw said hard edge of the oneportion away from the hard edge of the other portion.
 5. The inventionof claim 2, wherein said mechanism further includes structure forbringing said gripper into and out of engagement with said one portionof the section at opposite ends respectively of said course while thesection is advancing.
 6. The invention of claim 5, wherein saidstructure includes a continuous, flexible element looped above saidsection and operably coupled with said drive means for cycling in aplane disposed transversely to the plane of said section, said elementcarrying said gripper and being arranged during each cycle thereof tomove toward, then parallel to and thence away from said plane of thesection to effect operation of the gripper.
 7. The invention of claim 6,wherein is provided means for shifting said element toward and away fromsaid path to accommodate sections of various thicknesses.
 8. Theinvention of claim 5, wherein is provided timing means interconnectingsaid structure and said conveying means for determining the locus ofcontact of said gripper with said one portion.
 9. The invention of claim1, wherein is provided a second feeder along said path for delivering asecond sheet article between said portions of the section as the lattercontinues to advance.
 10. The invention of claim 1, wherein said feederis operable to deliver at least a superimposed pair of said sheetarticles to the section at one time.
 11. An opener for continuouslymoving, folded sheet articles each having a fold along one side thereofand a pair of normally juxtaposed portions, each portion provided with aleading edge extending transversely to said fold, said openercomprising: a support; a gripper shiftably mounted on said support formovement along a course of travel extending obliquely to the path oftravel of the moving articles; and means for cycling said gripper alongits course of travel in contact with one of said portions of eachsuccessive article for shifting said one portion generally toward thefold of the corresponding article whereby to separate its leading edges.12. An opener as claimed in claim 11, wherein said gripper has avelocity component extending parallel to said path of travel of thearticles which is substantially equal in magnitude to the velocity ofsaid articles.